Darnell Johnson
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Darnell Johnson
| image =
| fullname = Darnell Tobias Jack Johnson{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/1238361 |title=Premier League clubs publish retained lists |publisher=Premier League |date=7 June 2019 |accessdate=7 June 2019}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1998|9|3}}{{cite web |url=https://www.11v11.com/players/darnell-johnson-254984/|title=Darnell Johnson|website=11v11.com |publisher=AFS Enterprises |accessdate=13 April 2019}}
| birth_place = Leicester, England
| height = {{convert|1.85|m|order=flip}}
| position = Defender
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Leicester City
| years1 = 2018–2021
| clubs1 = Leicester City
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2019
| clubs2 = → Hibernian (loan)
| caps2 = 1
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2020–2021
| clubs3 = → Wigan Athletic (loan)
| caps3 = 10
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2021
| clubs4 = → AFC Wimbledon (loan)
| caps4 = 11
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2021–2023
| clubs5 = Fleetwood Town
| caps5 = 3
| goals5 = 1
| years6 = 2023–2024
| clubs6 = Forest Green Rovers
| caps6 = 9
| goals6 = 0
| club-update = 14:09, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
| nationalyears1 = 2013–2014
| nationalteam1 = England U16
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2014
| nationalteam2 = England U17
| nationalcaps2 = 7
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2015
| nationalteam3 = England U18
| nationalcaps3 = 2
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2016–2017
| nationalteam4 = England U19
| nationalcaps4 = 6
| nationalgoals4 = 0
| nationalyears5 = 2017–2018
| nationalteam5 = England U20
| nationalcaps5 = 4
| nationalgoals5 = 2
| ntupdate = 20:39, 25 January 2021 (UTC)
}}
Darnell Tobias Jack Johnson (born 3 September 1998) is an English professional footballer who last played as a defender for Forest Green Rovers.
Club career
After featuring in friendly games ahead of the 2018–19 season, he signed a three-year contract with Leicester City in August 2018.{{cite press release |url=https://www.lcfc.com/news/798316/darnell-johnson-signs-new-threeyear-contract/press-release |title=Darnell Johnson Signs New Three-Year Contract |publisher=Leicester City FC |date=8 August 2018 |accessdate=7 February 2019}} He moved on loan to Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on 31 January 2019, for the rest of the 2018–19 season.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47081822 |title=Hibernian sign Marc McNulty, Darnell Johnson and Gael Bigirimana |publisher=BBC Sport |date=31 January 2019 |accessdate=31 January 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-citys-good-project-continues-2516473 |title=Leicester City's 'good project' continues as Knight and Johnson vie for first-team places |first=Jordan |last=Blackwell |work=Leicester Mercury |publisher= |date=7 February 2019 |accessdate=7 February 2019}} Johnson made his first appearance for Hibernian in a 2–0 defeat against Celtic on 6 February. He was subsequently suspended for two matches for a challenge he made on Emilio Izaguirre during that match.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47178859 |title=Darnell Johnson: Hibernian defender faces ban for challenge on Celtic's Emilio Izaguirre |publisher=BBC Sport |date=8 February 2019 |accessdate=8 February 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47218082 |title=Darnell Johnson: Hibernian defender banned for two matches |first=Scott |last=Mullen |publisher=BBC Sport |date=12 February 2019 |accessdate=12 February 2019}}
On 28 September 2020 he went to Wigan Athletic on loan until 4 January 2021.{{cite press release|url=https://www.lcfc.com/news/1846539/former-player-remembers-bruno-berner/featured|title=Darnell Johnson Signs New Three-Year Contract|publisher=Leicester City FC|date=28 September 2020|accessdate=30 September 2020}}
After the end of his loan spell at Wigan, he went on loan to AFC Wimbledon from 25 January 2021 until the end of the season{{cite web |url=https://www.lcfc.com/news/1983807/afc-wimbledon-loan-for-darnell-johnson |title=AFC Wimbledon loan for Darnell Johnson |publisher=Leicester City FC |date=25 January 2021 |accessdate=25 January 2021}}
In June 2021, it was announced that Johnson would be released from Leicester City upon expiry of his contract at the end of the season.{{cite news |last1=Blackwell |first1=Jordan |title=Leicester City retained list published as nine players released and contracts offered |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-retained-list-published-5493942 |access-date=5 June 2021 |work=Leicestershire Live |date=4 June 2021}}
On 2 August 2021, Johnson signed for EFL League One club Fleetwood Town on a two-year contract.{{cite news |title=Darnell Johnson joins Cod Army |url=https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news/2021/august/darnell-johnson-joins-cod-army/ |access-date=2 August 2021 |work=Fleetwood Town |date=2 August 2021}} He was released from the club following the 2022–23 season.{{cite news |title=Retained list: first team |url=https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news/2023/may/release-retained-list/ |access-date=5 July 2023 |work=Fleetwood Town FC |date=9 May 2023}}
On 4 August 2023, Johnson signed for Forest Green Rovers after impressing on a trial.{{Cite news |title=Forest Green sign Johnson and Kadji |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66411981 |access-date=2023-08-04}} He was released following relegation at the end of the 2023–24 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/retained-and-released-list-2024|title=Retained and Released List 2024|website=www.fgr.co.uk|date=30 April 2024|accessdate=30 April 2024}}
International career
In November 2013, Johnson was captain of the England under-16 team against Northern Ireland in the Victory Shield.{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2013/nov/08/u16s-victory-shield-northern-ireland-shea-conaty-bournemouth|title=Northern Ireland edge Victory Shield game in Bournemouth|publisher=The Football Association |date=8 November 2013 |accessdate=1 April 2019}} Johnson was part of the England under-19 team that won the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, playing the full game against Portugal in the final.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40619862 |title=European Under-19 Championship: England beat Portugal in final |publisher=BBC Sport |date=15 July 2017 |accessdate=1 April 2019}}
In August 2017, Johnson scored for the England under-20 team against the Netherlands.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2017/aug/31/england-u20s-3-0-netherlands-report-310817|title=Young Lions kick-off new campaign with clinical victory against the Dutch in Telford|publisher=The Football Association|date=31 August 2017|accessdate=1 April 2019}}
Personal life
Johnson is the godson of former Leicester City and England player Emile Heskey.{{cite web |url=https://sport.bt.com/news/darnell-johnson-hopes-to-follow-godfather-emile-heskeys-example-at-hibs-S11364332403961 |title=Darnell Johnson hopes to follow Godfather Emile Heskey's example at Hibs |publisher=BT Sport |date=1 February 2019 |accessdate=7 February 2019}}
Career statistics
{{updated|end of 2023–24 season}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=5|Leicester City U21s
|colspan="2"|2016–17 EFL Trophy{{soccerbase season|100648|2016|accessdate=1 January 2021}} |colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1Appearances in the EFL Trophy | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| colspan="2"|2017–18 EFL Trophy{{soccerbase season|100648|2017|accessdate=1 January 2021}}
|colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| colspan="2"|2018–19 EFL Trophy{{soccerbase season|100648|2018|accessdate=1 January 2021}}
|colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| colspan="2"|2019–20 EFL Trophy{{soccerbase season|100648|2019|accessdate=1 January 2021}}
|colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| colspan=2|Total
!colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||11||0||11||0 | ||||||||||
| rowspan=5|Leicester City
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018–19
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019–20
|Premier League |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21{{soccerbase season|100648|2020|accessdate=1 January 2021}}
|Premier League |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 | ||||||||||
| Hibernian (loan)
|1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wigan Athletic (loan)
|10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| A.F.C. Wimbledon (loan)
|11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Fleetwood Town
|2021–22{{soccerbase season|100648|2021|accessdate=2 December 2021}} |League One |3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Forest Green Rovers
|2023–24{{soccerbase season|100648|2023|accessdate=30 April 2024}} |9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2{{efn|name="EFLT"}} | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| colspan=3|Career total
!34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 51 | 1 |
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Honours
England U19
References
{{reflist}}
{{Forest Green Rovers F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Darnell}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Leicester City F.C. players
Category:Hibernian F.C. players
Category:Wigan Athletic F.C. players
Category:AFC Wimbledon players
Category:Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Category:England men's youth international footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Scottish Professional Football League players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)